PhD Defence Charles Christian: Mere Materiality?
“Did you know that all scientific knowledge we have today is already foretold in the Bible?” If you have heard this claim, know that this is not a uniquely Christian claim. Since the time humanity tasted the fruit of modern science, almost all religions have advanced similar arguments. This is nowhere more evident than in India, a land bustling with diverse religions. On 24 November, Charles Christian will defend his dissertation on the issues that arise from the 'piggybacking' of religion on the back of science and the space it creates for a dialogue on God’s relationship with nature, entitled Mere Materiality? Towards an Indian Christian Theology of Nature.
About the defence
Unlike the Western setting, in the Indian landscape, the arrival of science has led to interreligious apologetics on the theme of nature, for the same scientific theory that seems to dovetail with one religion may contradict another. One of the lasting critiques of Hindu apologists has been that the God-nature dualism is inherent to Western and Christian perspectives. Hinduism, in contrast, is claimed to offer a holistic picture of the God-world relationship. In response, Christians have argued that Hinduism reduces nature to a secondary reality, where the material becomes merely a step to the spiritual. Christianity, they claim, offers the natural world identity, meaning and hope of redemption.
Similarly, postmodern and postcolonial thinkers argue that a strict dualism between God and nature that is inherent to modern theology has allowed powerful humans to wield science to exploit nature and the marginalised communities living close to it.
Christian theologians have largely reckoned with this critique of dualism in modern theology and articulated holistic models of the God-world relationship. But what exactly does it mean for Christian theology of nature to be holistic is not yet settled. What are the theological resources that are and can be employed to provide a foundation for a holistic model? In this study, done largely from the Indian context, Charles Christian argues that some contemporary attempts to articulate a model of God-world relationship are contestable and that they do not always enhance the well-being of human and non-human creation. Instead, he proposes Trinitarian theology as an appropriate foundation for a holistic theology of nature. Developed with an intercultural approach, the research is relevant for both Indian and Western contexts.
Practical information
- Location: Jacobikerk, Utrecht
- Date: Monday 24 November
- Time: 3.30 p.m.
